


Crushes and Waterslides

by Luthwyn



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, M/M, Pining, Pool Boy AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-11 01:06:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12924054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luthwyn/pseuds/Luthwyn
Summary: Dan has a massive crush on one of the supervisors at his local water park, which is why he goes back every single week even though he doesn't even like watersides.





	Crushes and Waterslides

Dan wasn't really an avid swimmer, nor was he particularly fond of water slides. Why then did he spend most of his Tuesday afternoons at a slightly crappy indoor water park in Blackpool? Whenever his friends or family had asked said question he had simply responded that he had bought an annual pass and was simply trying to get his money's worth. That may have been true at first but when almost every single staff member knows you by name and you have been on pretty much every single water slide at least once while it had broken down you know you have gone a little too far. He had first discovered this place when he first moved in. He was looking for things to do and, in Blackpool, there was no shortage, but this seemed one of the safer options. He had quite liked it. There were lots of different things to do, the pools were big and the decor was on point. Some of it might have looked a bit shabby but he didn't mind, it gave it a bit of personality. So, after bit of consideration he decided to get an annual pass, nothing odd there. That however, was where the normalities ended. The pass had been a bit pricey so Dan had decided he would try and visit at least once a month to get his money's worth. Unfortunately this so became once a week after the WiFi in his house decided it didn't want to work so he had to wait another two months before it would be able to get fixed and the water park happened to have, for some reason, really good WiFi. Pretty soon he started to gain a bit of a reputation with the staff. You see normal twenty-year-old men don't unusually spend their only afternoon off at a water park, especially after their internet starts working again. The truth was he didn't go because he liked the place, more like he liked someone within the place.

Most people who have crushes on staff at water parks usually fancy the stereotypical buff life guards, but not Dan. Sure he had ogled at a few of them at first but that soon blew over, well it took a good few months. It wasn't really his fault. They all seemed to have a habit of standing on the edge over the wave pool, one foot propped up on a rock looking determinedly over the pool whilst trying to show as much skin as allowed in their tight red uniforms to the swimmers below. Dan had overheard enough teenage girls, and some boys, discussing how gorgeous they were whilst practically drooling over them to know that he wasn't alone. He had actually had a major crush on a really fit guard called Matt until one of the catering staff told him that he had been in a rather turbulent relationship with another life guard called Amy. He had made quite a lot of friends here and gossip got around quickly so Dan was surprised he had only heard about it now. At least he now knew how to stay clear. As hot as Matt might have been, Dan didn't really want to get involved in that sort of drama so he quickly found a way to divert his attention elsewhere. He would often chat with the cashier at the snack bar when it was empty to pass the time. Scarily, it seemed he knew almost everyone. Gareth in security, Sarah in the shop, Simon who tested the PH of the water and even Olivier who fixed the water pumps. He wasn't really enthralled by any of them though. Sure they were fun to talk to but the lacked the qualities that Dan needed in either friendships or relationships.

After a few weeks of attending the park however, Dan began to notice another member off staff, which he soon became oddly attached too. He was not a life guard, just someone who supervised the rides to make sure nobody did anything stupid and, although his muscles didn't quite match the bulging biceps that appeared to be present on most other members of staff, in Dan's eyes he was much more attractive than them. The man looked to be in his early twenties, with broad shoulders and rather lanky limbs. He was pretty much the same height as Dan which made him all the more appealing as usually everyone who caught Dan's eye  was at least a couple of inches shorter than him which could sometimes make things a little awkward. The man had lovely, warm blue eyes that always seemed to change colour depending on the light and he would stick his tongue out from between his teeth whenever he laughed which was really cute. His hair was dyed black and swept into a fringe similar to Dan's own which made him look slightly like a teenage boy going through an emo stage but oddly it suited him. He wasn't hard to miss either. You see the staff at the sandcastle water park seemingly had a knack for losing their uniform and at the time this particular member had been stuck with only two clothing sizes; small and extra-large. Most new staff members had somehow managed to squeeze themselves into the smaller sized tight yellow polo and red shorts but not this guy. They just wouldn't fit on him so he was forced to go with extra-large, which was at least four sizes too big on him. As a result, his polo shirt hung way past is waist and when it got wet it almost seemed to pull him towards the floor. Dan thought it was probably a safety hazard because if he ever fell in the pool that shirt would probably drag him down with it.

Dan had seen this man around various parts of the park but his usual station was at the top of a pair of waterslides called the duelling dragons. It was a simple job, just making sure people went down one at a time and the right way up, and not really one he seemed to enjoy. Dan was sure he could change that. He had climbed up the flight of steps about four times in an effort to catch sight of the man's name tag on his way down but he still hadn't had a chance to read it and people were starting to give him odd glances so he gave up. Eventually about two weeks later he struck up a conversation with the man after he complemented Dan's Pokémon swimming trunks. An odd sentence starter but one Dan was insanely glad off. He eventually learned that the man's name was Phil after giving the name tag a puzzled look when it read Susan. Turns out he just hadn't bothered to change it from the tag left by the last owner. How big this Susan must have been to be able to fit in that shirt Dan had no idea but at least the tag was very obviously wrong or Dan might have gone around calling Phil Derek or some other equally incorrect name. Unfortunately, it seemed that the flirting done in their first conversation went unnoticed because Dan was ushered down the slide soon after to let a troop of girl scouts down, Dan had never hated a group of children more than that moment. From then on, their conversations never really went deeper that 'how are you?' or 'good weather today' which upset Dan quite a bit. He really did want to get to know Phil, from the few times they had spoken he had seemed lovely and Dan was really crushing on him. It seemed destined however, that their relationship would never consist of more than Dan gazing from afar at the man who thought he was being followed by a stalker (which he basically was).

Dan had had a horrible day at work. He had been shouted at by no less than four different customers about things that were way out his hands. One woman had come up to him and demanded that he reduce a one hundred and twenty-five-pound dress to twenty quid which of course he could not do and another had had an enormous rant at him because they were out of stock for one of the toys that her son was just desperate to have. He worked at John Lewis which at first had seemed like a great job, good pay, decent hours but it had soon revealed itself to be quite demanding as some of the residents of Blackpool weren't really the smartest bunch (no offence or anything loads people are smart but there are also some complete looneys in Blackpool) making his job quite challenging. He had moved here after dropping out of university. He just needed a place away from his family and away from Manchester. He liked it there but he had to take a break away from there to sort himself out while he had his quarter life crisis and would go back soon but in the meantime, he was content to stay where he was. The moment the bells of the church outside rang two Dan's shift was over and he was gone. It was Tuesday so he headed to the place he spent all of his Tuesday afternoons. The Sandcastle water park.

The woman at the till waved him in, not bothering to look up from her magazine once she had seen the annual pass. The security guard greeted him with a bored expression and Dan returned a hello in an equally monotone voice, in too much off a foul mood to properly strike up conversation. He got into the changing rooms and changed into his swimming trunks which he had packed in his backpack before heading to work, just as he always did on a Tuesday. It was then he realised that he had forgotten to pick up one of the electronic bands for the lockers and a wristband to get on the rides. His shrugged his shoulders, not really concerned. He was sure no one would bother to nick a ratty old backpack and a John Lewis uniform. He did take the time however, to hide his phone on top of a set of lockers. He would be dammed if he ever lost his precious baby. That phone meant more to him that probably anything else in his life at the moment.

After having a quick shower Dan headed into the main part of the park. The grey clouds were clearly visible through the large glass windows at the top of the building and the dull light that filtered in matched his mood perfectly. He resigned himself to sulking in the shallow end of the wave pool watching various people splash in the water. It was busy for a Tuesday so he guessed that the children must be off school. That explained the families playing beside him. Usually watching the children play with their parents would make him feel warm inside, restore his faith in humanity just a little bit but today he was just annoyed by them and wanted them to leave him alone. At least then he could sulk in peace. Noticing the pool was getting busier Dan cast his eyes around to look for another place to lounge about in misery. Suddenly his eyes landed on the oddly empty duelling dragons. Maybe a small conversation with Phil would make him feel better, they almost always made him feel cheerful, Phil was special like that.

Dan slowly began to climb the winding set of metal stairs that lead to the top of the slides. Usually he would had jogged up but today he just couldn't be bothered with the exercise. Eventually he got to the top to find Phil standing in his spot like always, gazing out of a nearby window over the sea outside with a faraway look on his face. Dan let out a little cough and Phil spun around in surprise, only just missing hitting his head on the metal safety rail above him.

"Oh, hi there Dan, you scared me a bit then." He said, bringing his hand to the back of his head sheepishly. Dan let out a giggle and a fond smile spread across his face.

"Sorry Phil, didn't mean to. How are you?"

"I'm good thanks, bit bored though." Phil responded with a smile. Dan let out a grin, confidence seeping into him. He didn't know why but he knew that today was the day when his flirting was finally going to get through.

"You don't have to be bored now, I'm here." Dan replied, adding a wink on the end for good measure.

"Oh, why's that?"

"Well I'm good to talk to aren't I, plus your cute. I'm sure there are other things we could be doing now apart from stood at the top of a water slide talking." Phil's face flushed bright red which only added to Dan's good mood. He was about to tell Phil how cute he looked when he blushed when suddenly the other man cleared his throat and pointed at Dan's wrist.

"You know you aren't allowed on these slides without a wristband on." Dan jaw dropped open. He had actually started flirting with Phil, and that was the response he got. Maybe he had gone a bit too far.

"Now since I know you have a pass to get in I'm going to give you a wristband but remember next time." With that he handed Dan a blue wristband. Dan was about to put it on, giving Phil a sneer when he wasn't watching, when he noticed a string of numbers written in black biro on the inside of the band. Dan's face lit up, Phil had given him his number. Dan shot a smile at Phil who responded likewise and Dan felt on top of the world. Suddenly there were footsteps pattering up the stairs and pretty soon a queue would be forming.

"Well off you go, I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again quite soon." Phil whispered in his ear quietly.

Dan responded with a smirk.

"Oh, you know it." He gave one final wink before pushing himself down the slide feeling quite proud of himself for not messing that up. Of course that pride was slightly tainted when he had to go back the following week and ask for the number again because the water had washed the ink off the wristband, but it was still pride never the less.


End file.
